It's Superman!

Opening with the young Clark Kent on a date, this novel takes an entirely fresh approach to the emergence of his superpowers and the start of his newspaper career, following him from rural 1930s Kansas across America to Hollywood in its golden age and then to New York City. He meets a worldly Lois Lane and conniving political boss Lex Luthor, and begins his battles against criminal masterminds, mad scientists, and super villains inspired by fascists.

Superman: The High-Flying History of America's Most Enduring Hero

Seventy-five years after he came to life, Superman remains one of America’s most adored and enduring heroes. Now Larry Tye, the prize-winning journalist and New York Times best-selling author of Satchel, has written the first full-fledged history not just of the Man of Steel but of the creators, designers, owners, and performers who made him the icon he is today.

Superman Returns

Following a mysterious absence of several years, the Man of Steel comes back to Earth in the epic action-adventure Superman Returns, a soaring new chapter in the saga of one of the world's most beloved superheroes.

Superman on Trial

This long-awaited release features Stuart Milligan as Superman, Shelley Thompson as Lois Lane, William Hootkins as Lex Luthor and Bob Sessions as The Batman and was written to celebrate Superman’s 50th birthday. Accused of crimes against humanity, the Last Son of Krypton stands powerless before a court dominated by Lex Luthor - criminal genius turned prosecutor. Has Superman really corrupted our children? Can he justify his continued interference in world affairs?

Batman Unauthorized: Vigilantes, Jokers, and Heroes in Gotham City

Compiled by a veteran writer of the comic series, this collection of essays explores Batman’s motivations and actions, as well as those of his foes. Batman is a creature of the night, more about vengeance than justice, more plagued by doubts than full of self-assurance, and more darkness than light. He has no superpowers, just skill, drive, and a really well-made suit.

Superheroes!: Capes, Cowls, and the Creation of Comic Book Culture

Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, the Avengers, the X-Men, Watchmen, and more: the companion volume to the PBS documentary series of the same name that tells the story of the superhero in American popular culture.

Marvel Comics: The Untold Story

Throughout this decades-long journey to becoming a multibillion-dollar enterprise, Marvel's identity has continually shifted, careening between scrappy underdog and corporate behemoth. As the company has weathered Wall Street machinations, Hollywood failures, and the collapse of the comic book market, its characters have been passed along among generations of editors, artists, and writers - also known as the celebrated Marvel "Bullpen".

The Law of Superheroes

Could Superman sue if someone exposed his identity as Clark Kent? Is a life sentence for an immortal like Apocalypse "cruel and unusual punishment"? Is X-ray vision a violation of search and seizure laws? Is the Joker legally insane? And who foots the bill when a hero destroys a skyscraper or two while defending Metropolis? Fear not, gentle listener! The answers to these questions and a multitude more are contained inside this audiobook.

Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human

From one of the most acclaimed and profound writers in the world of comics comes a thrilling and provocative exploration of humankind's great modern myth: the superhero. In this exhilarating work of a lifetime, Grant Morrison draws on art, science, mythology, and his own astonishing journeys through this shadow universe to provide the first true history of the superhero - why they matter, why they will always be with us, and what they tell us about who we are... and what we may yet become.

Marvel’s Thor: The Dark World

The Asgardian warrior continues his big-screen adventures in Marvel's Thor: The Dark World as he battles to save Earth and all Nine Realms from a shadowy enemy that predates the universe itself. In the aftermath of Marvel's Thor and Marvel's The Avengers, Thor fights to restore order across the cosmos...but an ancient race led by the vengeful Malekith returns to plunge the universe back into darkness.

Batman and Psychology: A Dark and Stormy Knight

Batman is one of the most compelling and enduring characters to come from the Golden Age of Comics, and interest in his story has only increased through countless incarnations since his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 in 1939. Why does this superhero without superpowers fascinate us? What does that fascination say about us? Batman and Psychology explores these and other intriguing questions about the masked vigilante, including: Does Batman have PTSD? Why does he fight crime? Why as a vigilante? Why the mask, the bat, and the underage partner?

The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines

Comic book superheroines bend steel, travel across time and space, and wield awesome forces. These mighty females do everything that male superheroes do. But they have to work their wonders in skirts and high heels. The Supergirls asks whether their world of fantasy is that different from our own. Are the stories of Wonder Woman’s search for an identity, Batwoman and Power Girl’s battle for equality, and Manhunter’s juggling of a crime fighting career and motherhood also an alternative saga of modern American women?

Marvel's Captain America: The Winter Soldier: The Secret Files

Steve Rogers, known to the world as Captain America, continues his affiliation with S.H.I.E.L.D. director Nick Fury and the Avengers. But Steve struggles to fit in the modern world, and now his past will come back to haunt him.

Publisher's Summary

Acclaimed novelist Tom De Haven recreates the early years of the Man of Steel - the world's most popular and enduring superhero.

Opening with the young Clark Kent on a date, the novel takes an entirely fresh approach to the emergence of his superpowers and the start of his newspaper career, following him from rural 1930s Kansas across America to Hollywood in its golden age and then to New York City. He meets a worldly Lois Lane and conniving political boss Lex Luthor, and begins his battles against criminal masterminds, mad scientists, and super villains inspired by fascists.

This fun and fast-paced novel of thrilling invention, heroic escapes, ill-fitting costumes, and super-sized, coming-of-age angst is sure to appeal to devoted fans.

What the Critics Say

"Comic noir with a super-keen edge, in De Haven's best book yet." (Kirkus Reviews) "One of the finest interpretations of Superman in any medium." (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) "Delightful....De Haven's cartoon world will entertain readers for a long time to come." (New York Times Book Review)

Be forewarned: This is not written with the same continuity or sensibilities of any recent Superman movie or comic. The team of Tom De Haven and Scott Brick have made the Superman story new again with a creditable feel for the time and culture of America in the mid-1930's. Sometimes naive, sometimes rather violent (this is not for younger listeners), the story is told with style, sympathy and grace. De Haven writes this book in third person-present tense which places the listener in an unusual relationship to the story. Scott Brick handles regional accents and makes distinctions between male and female characters effortlessly. His phrasing as the omniscient narrator smacks of newsreel and radio announcers. This book is different and all the more interesting and enjoyable for it.

This novel is extraordinary.
On long journeys as a representative for my company I have listened to many audio books, my favorites have been "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell and "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" by Michael Chabon (both unabridged). A third now joins these two, "It's Superman" by Tom DeHaven.
If it is the superman of the comic books, the big screen action hero you admire then this book is not for you, for this is a complete and utter reinvention of the superman mythos. Gone is the broadly drawn world of Smallville and Metropolis and the cast of one dimensional characters, instead we have Clark Kent, a boy learning to be a man, a person set apart searching for a place in the world.
If it is action and heroics you desire, then you will not be disappointed, but be warned in this superman, action is not the star.
This is a character driven story. The four main players, Clark Kent, Willie - replacing the Aw Shucks, Gee Whiz Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, are all exquisitely drawn complex human beings.
The writer takes us on an epic journey through the backwaters of 1930's USA to a New York placed at the centre of the world.
Through the trails and tribulations of the four main characters (and an inspired cast of bit players), the writer weaves a complex plot, slowly but surely bringing all the various threads masterfully together, leaving us at a thoroughly satisfying conclusion.
This story is about friendship, love, redemption, life and purpose. It is about growing into adulthood and all the difficulties this implies.
The pace of the narration is perfectly pitched.
Through the voice of the narrator, the characters are fully realized, a place in time is established. The nuance of conversation between characters is outstanding.
This is superman as I always hoped it could be, but never was. I loved this book, why did it have to end?

Tom De Haven and Scott Brick have managed to transport us back to 1935 and introduce us to a different Clark Kent than we've known all these years. A Clark that goes through all the angst just about every teenage boy does. A Lois Lane who's not the pris of the 1950's Superman TV shows. Lois is the liberated woman of today.

Superman has his doubts about what his legacy will be and how he fits into our world.

I loved the new 'history lesson' and highly recommend this book to Superman fans who are looking for something different.

This was a great read! I'm not a huge fan of Superman stories, and have always found the character (as portrayed in movies and recent comics) to be quite one-dimensional and boring. This book definitely added life to the character and helped me understand where he came from.

Written as if Smallville (the television show) had continued past Clark's high school years and taken place in the 1930s, this book establishes the relationships of Clark, Lois and Lex in the setting of a murder mystery or crime novel. Lex is the manipulative politician and businessman who begins to show signs of his mad scientist phase. The characters (including those who did not appear in the comics) were interesting and likeable. I actually cared what happened to these people.

I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys sci-fi/fantasy/superhero tales, as well as to anyone who loves the feeling of 30s noir and pulp stories. It really made me feel as if I was in the 30s, watching as a superhero developed.

One wouldn't expect a book based on a comic book character to be a good slow read, but this one is. Scott Brick was definitely the right reader for this one.

If you are expecting a "canonical" Superman novel, you are going to be upset. There is no "Metropolis" other than Manhattan, the movie, and a photo exhibit. Clark's Mom doesn't make The Suit. It's not even 30's canonical, although there are a couple of sly references to the first issue of Action Comics. (Bonus points to the author for how well the iconic cover shot is worked into the story.)

But Clark is more human in this story than any other I've read, seen, or watched.

In June 1938, two men from Cleveland, Ohio made history by giving birth to an alien. Although such a feat is remarkable, these men, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, did not even make the front page of their local newspaper. They had to settle for their offspring to be debuted in Action Comics #1. Little did they know that their creation would grow up to become the greatest hero the world has ever known—Superman. Since his inception, Superman has taken the world by storm and his adventures have been featured in radio serials, TV shows, and movies. After seventy years, Superman has remained alive in our world, but despite his old age, this character seems to have remained just as simple and two dimensional as the day he was born. That is, until 2005, when writer Tom De Haven took on Superman in the novel “It’s Superman!” In this novel, De Haven does a fantastic job of making Superman and the world that he lives in, deeper and more realistic. This new three dimensional perspective of Superman is brought to life through the setting, supporting characters, and an exploration of Superman’s internal personal struggle.In the Superman comics, Superman lives on Earth, but it is not “our” earth. On his earth, technology is far superior, extraterrestrial villains are a common occurrence, and other superheroes are a dime a dozen. De Haven begins his story of Superman on “our” Earth, back where he first began—the 1930’s. Baby Superman crash lands in rural Kansas, and is found by a married couple, who decide to adopt him and raise him as their own son. They give him the name Clark Kent and teach him the values of an average god-fearing farmer. In De Haven’s exploration of the setting, in which young Clark is raised, the reader is granted access to a look at our past and is able to see the simplicity and struggles of a 1930s mid-American farming family. In one passage, De Haven even describes Clark’s father. Jonathan Kent, and his reluctance to rewire their house for electricity because that is a luxury that they just don’t need in their lives. As Clark gets older, he decides to accompany another character on a journey that takes these two across the United States. Throughout this journey, De Haven is able to take Clark and pit him against historical events and themes, such as racism in the South and the booming movie industry in the West. With each step into a new setting, the reader is privy to the emotional growth of Clark’s character, and by the end of the book, the reader is able to understand that Superman is not just a small town boy with small town values, but a hero that is made up of the best (and worst) of our country as a whole.As young Clark struggles to grow up to the hero we all know he will be, he comes across many different characters. These characters, as De Haven so eloquently uses, are the spark to Clark’s outward growth as a real person. Having been raised by small town farmers, Clark is not familiar with the outside world, except for what he sees in the newsreels at the movie theatre, so he has yet to experience any sort of external opposition. He has simple ideas and small town dreams, but this all changes when he comes across Willy Berg, a big city photographer turned wrongly accused murder suspect. Willy is from New York City and has lived with nothing but the fast paced lifestyle of a big city. When they first meet, Willy’s big city attitude is something as a shock to Clark. Clark doesn’t like him very much, but is intrigued by Willy’s suspicious nature and lack of mid-American values. Willy represents the exact opposite of Clark’s upbringing, and De Haven uses this as a way for Clark to balance his own nature and moral code against that of a “normal” person. These two agree to take on a job that takes them on a tour across the country, and in doing so, come in contact with more people of different persuasions. Over the course of this tour, Clark writes letters to his father, describing his adventures with Willy. De Haven uses these letters as a unique way to show and describe the growth of his character and the new perspectives that he has had the opportunity to come across. In the climax of this story, it is Clark’s memories of the characters he met and the adventures he had with Willy that help him to discover his true identity as a hero, and we, as the readers, are able to see the rich evolution of Superman’s character by way of his friends and supporting characters.As an infant, baby Kal-El was sent from his crumbling home planet of Krypton to Earth, to live out a life of peace as the last surviving member of their civilization. This baby was adopted as Clark Kent and raised as a human. He is not human (Shuster, 1938). In this novel, De Haven describes in very great detail Clark’s inner struggles of loneliness and isolation, as well as his difficulty coming to terms with his powers. This aspect of Superman identity has rarely ever been explored is the backbone of De Haven’s story. Clark is alone in full of world with people who look like him, but are not like him. He wants to be normal but knows he isn’t and that he can’t hide his true nature forever. Though out the book, Clark’s only genuine moments of happiness come from when he finds others that share physical characteristics with him, such as being left-handed or having blue eyes. He clings to any feeling of acceptance or thoughts of being common, but knows that ultimately, he is alone. This feeling of Clark’s isolation is explored very well, but it is never resolved. Along with his loneliness, Clark struggles with his powers. He doesn’t see them as a gift, and is uncomfortable when characters, such as Willy, attempt to exploit them for personal gain. De Haven even delivers a scene where Clark is so embarrassed by his powers, that when questioned by a sheriff after an altercation with a gunman, that he just mumbles his story and keeps hidden the bullet that he caught with his bare hand. By the end of the story, Superman becomes Clark’s true identity and his powers become an extension of his will, but his inner struggle becomes his one true weakness. De Haven’s exploration of the inner Superman became one of the most interesting aspects and has really given this character the depth that most fans have longed for.Over the last seventy years, Superman has fought evil scientists, aliens, and even clones of himself, but he has never faced the foe De Haven presents him with— three dimensional character developments. Throughout this novel, De Haven gives a stunning and deep portrayal of Superman’s beginnings as Clark Kent and his evolution to the hero we all know and love. It is through the world he lives in, the people he meets, and his path of inner self-discovery that makes this version of Superman so compelling and exciting. Having read this book several times, I would implore anyone, even if you’re not a fan of comic books or typical superhero tales, to pick up this novel. It will have you sitting on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

I am a Superman fan from the age of 2. When I tied a red towel around my neck, assumed the Superman pose of fists on hips, and pronounced in kid-speak, "I, Supe!" (Even have a photo my parents took that day on my desk!)

"It's Superman" is an interesting take on the Superman mythos. The author really humanizes Clark and places the character back in his roots of the 1930s, when originally conceptualized by Jerome Siegel and Joseph Shuster. The story shows the struggles of Clark as he evolves into Superman and the influences of his friends and family as well as the era helped mold him into the super hero he becomes.

My only critique and warning is the book starts slowly (for character development), but eventually gains momentum and becomes well worth the listen.

After about two hours into this book you will probably realize that this is not your traditional superman - man of virtue and steel, nor is Lois Lane the modern, charming yet moral person.

First, Clark Kent is a rather weak minded individual. His actual role in the book is very limited. One thing is certain Clark Kent is a self-proclaimed atheist - "I don't believe there is a God" - exactly what would expect from our superhero. But what else should we expect when early on we are told Clark's father is a pagan.

My dear Lois is a fairly loose woman, having sexual encounters with at least 3 different men, but not Clark. If fact Lois sleeps with a guy who is to be Clark's best friend. Sleeps with another guy who is to be the husband of one of Lois's best friend. And lets not forget the older professor. Of course as Lois says "A modern girl should have experiences with a variety of men, including older men"

The only thing that draws you into this story is the excellent narration and the hope that the story will actually take you somewhere.

The narration is awesome and really the only redeeming quality of this book.

I love and am a huge fan of superman! To hear Tom de Havens interpretation of Clark Kents growth is amazing! I recommended this to anySuper hero fans! Scott Brick voice is energetic. He is an amazing narrator. I would love to hear more Superman and other super hero books brought to life!

Excellent 'different' take on the origins of Superman without the nice family values of the 50's. Can honestly say this is one I couldn't turn off, however the ending was a little bit of a let down.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Sarah

1/28/13

Overall

"Alternate version"

I vaguely remember the film where Gene Hackman played Lex Luthor as a kind of campy villain. In this version he is more sinister, in office and associating with the Mafia etc. Lois is a much more capable, albeit annoying, woman and Clark is the same old, geeky, loveable farm boy.

0 of 0 people found this review helpful

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